Archive for August, 2016

GOODING, Idaho – The men of Bullfighters Only take danger to a new level.

It’s one thing to face danger; it’s another thing to attack it and bring it to its knees. That’s what the Bullfighters Only competition will be about Saturday during the final night of the Gooding Pro Rodeo. Five men will compete in the freestyle-bullfighting battle for the title.

Chuck Swisher

“It’s crazy to think this is our actual first year and that we have so many events at these historic rodeos,” said bullfighter Chuck Swisher of Dover, Okla. “For my first year to walk into an arena with such prestigious awards, it’s a true honor for me to fight bulls there.”

The award-winning Gooding Pro Rodeo has a grand history, and Bullfighters Only is just adding to the showcase of the world’s best.

Freestyle bullfighting is not new to rodeo, and the Bullfighters Only has created public demand for the sport. The events feature man vs. beast in a head-to-head battle inside an arena. The bullfighters utilize their tremendous athleticism to try to outwit and outmaneuver the agile bulls.

Now just a little more than a year old, Bullfighters Only is still in its infancy, but it has grown rapidly. The Gooding rodeo is the 21st stop on the BFO’s inaugural tour.

Nate Jestes

“In my opinion, Bullfighters Only is the most elite set of guys that have ever been involved in freestyle bullfighting,” said Nate Jestes of Douglas, Wyo. “There hasn’t been a set of 15 guys that are as strong and as talented that are going down the road at this time. It’s not only the elite guys, but the elite bulls, too.

“These are the kinds of bulls that allow us to showcase our abilities and our talents. We’re fighting bulls that are good, fun to fight and are fun to watch. I think that’s what sets Bullfighters Only apart from other freestyle events. It’s the best guys, it’s the best bulls, and it’s the best freestyle competition around.”

Jestes leads the BFO standings with more than $19,000 in earnings, but his lead is slim. In bullfighting, dollars equal championship points, so every penny counts in a big way as the men battle their way toward the inaugural world championship.

Evan Allard

“I think it’s a good thing we’ve all done to bring the bullfights back to where they belong,” said Allard of Vinita, Okla. “It’s taken off because bullfighting is the greatest extreme sport in the world, and we have the best freestyle bullfighters alive all doing it right now.”

With scores based on a 100-point scale, men can earn up to 50 points per fight based on their ability to exhibit control and style while maneuvering around or over an animal; a bull can earn up to 50 points based on its quickness, aggression and willingness to stay with the bullfighter.

“What’s cool about Bullfighters Only is that the top 15 guys are part of what we call the Pioneer Project,” Jestes said. “It’s 15 of the sport’s best. We’re in it for each other and for the sport of freestyle bullfighting. No matter who wins, we’re happy for each other. It’s pretty amazing.”

That’s a big deal to the bullfighters.

“To me, Bullfighters Only is more like a group of brothers,” Swisher said of the top 15 bullfighters in the game that make up the BFO. “We all went in and are part of this team that helps in bringing the freestyle bullfights back in front of the fans. It’s something we’ve always wanted for so long.

“Even before there was even a thought of the BFO, we always stuck together and stuck our necks out for each other. We push each other to get better, and now we put a name on it.”

The men of Bullfighters Only have shared their passion with others, and now the world will see what true athleticism goes into freestyle bullfighting.

J.D. Struxness his way to a share of the bulldogging title at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. He was one of three cowboys who earned the Lovington championship on the final night of competition.

LOVINGTON, N.M. – J.D. Struxness has had an outstanding week on the rodeo trail.

He put an exclamation point on it Saturday night by earning a share of the steer wrestling title at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. During the final performance of the 2016 exposition, Struxness wrestled his steer to the ground in 3.6 seconds.

That, combined with his first-round run of 3.9, pushed the Minnesota cowboy to a 7.5-second cumulative time; he owns the bulldogging title with Shayde Tree Etherton, who competed earlier in the week.

“Lovington’s a good rodeo,” said Struxness of Appleton, Minn. “Last year was my first year here. It’s a cool set up and looks like a good rodeo to win. This year I had the steers to do it on, and I’m glad I capitalized on it.”

He did that all week. In all, the cowboy pocketed $10,894 this week and pushed his season earnings to nearly $56,000. That will move him inside the top 10 in the world standings and closer to the leader, Jason Thomas of Benton, Ark. Struxness needs to finish among the top 15 in the world standings to earn his first qualification to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.”

“It’d be great to make it to Vegas this year,” he said. “It would be an excellent start to my career; to be able to move right from college to that would be outstanding.”

Bareback rider R.C. Landingham, shown taking up prior to a ride in Estes Park, Colo., earned the Lea County Fair and Rodeo title on Saturday night with an 86-point ride on Pete Carr’s Hometown Girl.

He finished the 2015 season 19th in the world standings. He returned to Northwestern Oklahoma State University to finish his collegiate rodeo career. He did that with a bang, earning the championship two months ago at the College National Finals Rodeo. If everything falls into place, he could be just the fourth cowboy in rodeo history to have won a collegiate title and world championship in the same discipline in the same calendar year.

“Just missing (the NFR) last year put a fire in my belly,” he said.

Struxness wasn’t the only man competing on the final night to have that fire in his belly. Both bareback rider R.C. Landingham of Hat Creek, Calif., and bull rider Cody Rostockyj of Lorena, Texas, are well within range of earning their first NFR qualifications, too.

Rostockyj, who finished 29th last year and has been as high as 18th at the end of a season, rode Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Leroy Brown for 88.5 points to win the Lovington title and $5,464.

“This is always a big rodeo that everybody wants to win,” the bull rider said. “It’s going to help a lot on the way to the NFR. You don’t want to count your chickens, but it gives you some cushion.”

Landingham has been an NFR bridesmaid each of the past three seasons. In 2013 and ’14, he finished 16th in the world standings, just missing ProRodeo’s grand finale. A year ago, he placed 19th. He has a firm place on fifth place heading into the final month and a half of the regular season.

He padded his earnings Saturday night by winning the bareback riding title in Lovington wi9th an 86-point ride on Carr’s Hometown Girl.

“She’s a little horse, and I’m a bigger guy, so I didn’t fit her as good as other guys would,” Landingham said. “She felt outstanding and was really fun to ride, and the two of us together put up a pretty good score.”

Like Struxness, Landingham has had a phenomenal week. He earned $8,170, with $5,154 in earnings from this southeastern New Mexico community.

He has earned more than $87,000 this season, and that doesn’t include potential earnings from a rodeo in Hermiston, Ore.

“I’m guaranteed (to go to the NFR) now,” he said. “I’m placing at every rodeo I’ve been to this week. Now I’m just going to be picky about what rodeos I go to and what horses I get on and finally go to the NFR.

“It’s a big relief. I always felt like I was going to be there.”

Now he knows for sure, and, like Struxness and Rostockyj, he has the Lea County Fair and Rodeo to thank for playing a role in it.

Beau Schueth jumps his bull, Hookin’ A Ranch’s Shed Hunter, to close out his fight Friday during the championship round of the Bullfighters Only event in Sikeston, Mo. (PHILLIP KITTS PHOTO)

SIKESTON, Mo. – Bullfighting is more than a leap of faith for Beau Schueth, but he doesn’t mind jumping into the action.

It paid off Friday night to the Bullfighter Only tour victory during the championship round in conjunction with the Sikeston Jaycee Boothill Rodeo. The O’Neill, Neb., man scored 89 points to win the title.

“I’ve been in kind of a slump the last couple events I went to,” she said. “To finally get another win under my belt means a lot, and there’s no better place to do it than Sikeston. It’s an awesome rodeo, and the committee’s great. It’s just a fun time. This is my second year there, and I hope to be able to go back next year.

“The crowd seemed really into it. When the crowd’s into it, that makes me want to do something crazier and fight harder for them.”

It also helped that Schueth was matched with an aggressive bull that was on point throughout the fight with Hookin’ A Ranch’s Shed Hunter. With half the score coming from the animal, the Nebraskan knew he had an opportunity to take the title.

“He’s a super-hot little bull,” Schueth said. “He was coming with it right out of the gate and for the first 20 seconds. Then it calmed down and settled into a grove. I got some step-throughs and started breaking him down.

“Those are the ones you want, ones that are hot on your tail the whole time. I got a good up at the end to sell (the fight).”

He earned his spot in the three-man championship round by eliminating Ross Hill in the tournament-style format. He was then matched with the other two winners, Chuck Swisher of Dover, Okla., and Weston Rutkowski of Haskell, Texas.

“I had a good bull named Webster,” Schueth said of the bull he had been matched with for the first round. “Cody Webster raised him and fought him a lot. I knew he’d know the game a little bit. I just went out and made sure my fakes and rounds were solid. He was a lot of fun. I didn’t get my legs up fast enough on my jump, but it worked out; I just rolled out of it and sold (the fight) there.”

With the fight, Schueth sits solidly in the top five of the Bullfighters Only standings. He’d like to cash in a little more before the BFO finale, which will take place Dec. 1-4 in Las Vegas.

“I was planning on being one of the contenders for the BFO world championship, but I’ve fallen down in the standings,” he said. “Winning Sikeston helped bring that goal back. I just want to be in the mix with all the top bullfighters going, and so far, it seems like I’ve been able to do that.

“It’s so much fun to be able to fight against guys you’ve watched and learned from. Now to compete with them and be on their level is an awesome feeling.”

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Every dollar matters to bareback rider Kyle Brennecke at this stage of the game.

He set up a nice paycheck Friday night at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo with a wet and wild 85-point ride on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Painted River. That pushed him into the No. 1 spot heading into Saturday’s final performance.

“It was really important,” said Brennecke of Stephenville, Texas, the No. 29 cowboy in the bareback riding world standings. “I needed it mentally and just for the rodeo, too. I’m sitting in a spot where I can’t stop going and I need to keep going. Riding good when you draw a good (horse) like that is very important this time of year.”

Kyle Brennecke

Less than two months remain in the 2016 regular season, and he wants to capitalize at every turn; only the top 15 in the world standings at that point advance to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s premier championship.

“This season has been better,” said Brennecke, now in his seventh season in ProRodeo. “I’ve done some things different this year. I’ve worked a little bit harder at it and took it a little more seriously. Here lately (success) has been on and off. I’ve just been trucking a long, and sometimes you’ve just got to run right through that wall they put in front of you.”

Sometimes the wall is opened in the form of a quality partner. The Missouri-born cowboy found it in Painted River, a 7-year-old mare with a championship lineage – sire Korczak has been to the NFR multiple times, and dam River Boat Annie was the 2007 reserve world champion bareback horse.

“My traveling partner, Tim O’Connell, won the short round at San Antonio on her,” Brennecke said. “He said, ‘She’s a really good horse, and she’s going to try no matter what.’ ”

He was right. O’Connell knows a thing or two about bucking horses. He is the No. 1 bareback rider in the game with nearly $128,000 in earnings and has guaranteed his third straight NFR qualification. O’Connell was 83 points on Carr’s Good Time Charlie and sits in third place.

“We click together pretty good, because we’re both pretty upbeat,” Brennecke said. “Sitting where he’s at and me looking up to that, it’s good to ride against somebody like that every day. It just keeps you stepping up instead of stepping back.

“My goal is to make the finals; it always has been. The guy that’s at the top of his level like Tim is definitely a plus for me. You’re only as good as the people you ride against every day. It’s always good to ride against him every day.”

Iron sharpens iron, and Brennecke hopes to continue his pearcing streak through the final six weeks of the season.

CoBurn Bradshaw rides Pete Carr’s Cowboy Cowtown for 84 points Thursday night to take the lead at the saddle bronc riding lead at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. (PEGGY GANDER PHOTO)

LOVINGTON, N.M. – CoBurn Bradshaw wasn’t exactly born to be a saddle bronc rider, but you can’t tell that by the way he rides.

On Thursday night, he matched moves with Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Cowboy Cowtown for 84 points to take the lead at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. It was a nice change of pace for the cowboy who might finally see some success in this southeastern New Mexico community.

“I’ve been here the last two years and haven’t done any good, so it feels good to be able to have some success here,” said Bradshaw of Beaver, Utah. “I had that horse a few years ago, and he was a little better to ride here than he was in San Angelo (Texas).”

CoBurn Bradshaw

ProRodeo success has come quickly for the 21-year-old cowboy. As a high school star, he finished second at the National High School Finals Rodeo in both 2011 and ’12. A year later, he finished third. As a freshman at Western Texas College in 2014, he earned the national championship.

Last year, he not only earned the Rookie of the Year title but also qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, where he earned just shy of $230,000 over 10 nights in Las Vegas. Bradshaw won the second and fifth rounds, placed in four others and finished with the second highest 10-round cumulative score.

Not bad for a cowboy who didn’t start riding broncs until a few years ago, when he was beginning high school. He married into the famed bronc riding family, the Wrights, which consists of two-time world champion Cody Wright and his younger brothers, Jesse (the 2012 titlist) and Spencer (2014). Another brother, Jake, is a four-time NFR qualifier.

Meanwhile Cody’s oldest son, Rusty, earned his first trip to Las Vegas last year with Bradshaw; in 2015, Rusty Wright finished third in the final world standings, while Bradshaw placed fourth.

“I was good friends with Rusty in high school,” Bradshaw said.

In fact, that’s how Bradshaw met his wife, Rebecca; Rusty asked Bradshaw to take his aunt to prom. They were married in 2013.

Now he travels the rodeo trail chasing gold-buckle dreams with his in-laws. So far this season, he has earned more than $90,000 on the backs of bucking horses.

Bullfighters Only will be featured on opening night of the Caldwell Night Rodeo

CALDWELL, Idaho – The life of a bullfighter is sometimes wild, sometimes exciting and all the time consumed by their passion.

It takes a true love affair with the game to look a bull in the eyes and risk everything, escaping danger in the blink of an eye. That’s the reality for the men of Bullfighters Only, who will be part of opening night of the Caldwell Night Rodeo on Aug. 16.

Evan Allard

Four men will test their athleticism against equally athletic fighting bulls, with the winner claiming the prize at one of the most prestigious rodeos in the country.

“I think it’s a good thing we’ve all done to bring the bullfights back to where they belong,” said Evan Allard, a world champion bullfighter from Vinita, Okla. “It’s taken off because bullfighting is the greatest extreme sport in the world, and we have the best freestyle bullfighters alive all doing it right now.”

With scores based on a 100-point scale, men can earn up to 50 points per fight based on their ability to exhibit control and style while maneuvering around or over an animal; a bull can earn up to 50 points based on its quickness, aggression and willingness to stay with the bullfighter.

Dusty Tuckness

“We’re trying to grow the sport and bring it back to the main stage,” said Dusty Tuckness, the six-time Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s bullfighter of the year from Meeteetse, Wyo. “We’ve got a great group of guys and great support. The fan base is growing.

“There’s just so much excitement to freestyle bullfighting. It’s an event that hasn’t had a true world champion since 2000. Bullfighters Only is bringing that back while also keeping an eye out for the young talent. We want the best of the best. The main stage is where it belongs. The energy and the level of excitement are second to none.”

Freestyle bullfighting is not new to rodeo, and the Bullfighters Only has created public demand for the sport. The events feature man vs. beast in a head-to-head battle inside an arena. The bullfighters utilize their tremendous athleticism to try to outwit and outmaneuver the agile bulls.

Chuck Swisher

Now just a little more than a year old, Bullfighters Only is still in its infancy, but it has grown rapidly. The Caldwell Night Rodeo is the 20th stop on the BFO’s inaugural tour.

“It’s crazy to think this is our actual first year and that we have so many events at these historic rodeos,” said Chuck Swisher of Dover, Okla.

The tour is just part of a grand collaboration of the world’s top bullfighters.

“To me, Bullfighters Only is more like a group of brothers,” Swisher said of the top 15 bullfighters in the game that make up the BFO. “We all went in and are part of this team that helps in bringing the freestyle bullfights back in front of the fans. It’s something we’ve always wanted for so long.

“Even before there was even a thought of the BFO, we always stuck together and stuck our necks out for each other. We push each other to get better, and now we put a name on it.”

While the danger and the battles with athletic bovines are part of their makeup, the bullfighters also have a passion for competition.

Cody Webster

“I want Bullfighters Only to be part of every major event,” said Cody Webster of Wayne, Okla. “Freestyle bullfighting is what put me on the map, and we have a bunch of young bullfighters who have a lot of talent. I want us to get to where we provide an avenue for those young guys.”

That’s happening already, with some amazing young talent who want to be involved in one of the greatest extreme sports.

“The bulls drive me,” said Allard, who has been fighting bulls for 11 years. “Just knowing that you’re able to go head to head with one of the fiercest creatures alive and know that if everything goes right, you’re able to control him.

Dean Gorsuch jumps his steer during the first round of steer wrestling Wednesday at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. Gorsuch leads the first round with a 4.3, the second round with a 3.9 and the average.

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Success has always followed steer wrestler Dean Gorsuch to the Lea County Fair and Rodeo.

“This has been a really good rodeo for me,” said Gorsuch, a two-time world champion bulldogger from Gering, a tiny community straight north of Lovington in the Nebraska Panhandle. “I like this rodeo. It’s a really long way from home, but it always feels like home when I’m here. You have those rodeos where you feel good.”

Dean Gorsuch

That’s the case at Jake McClure Arena on the Lea County Fairgrounds. He won the championship in 2011 and has earned a bucket load of money in Lovington over the course of his career. He has a good chance to continue that trend this year.

Gorsuch put together two quality runs Wednesday during the first day of the rodeo, scoring a 4.3 to lead the opening round, then following that with a 3.9-second run during the performance; he also leads the second round and the average with a two-run cumulative time of 8.2 seconds.

“There are a bunch of good guys to go, and these back-to-back deals are awesome,” he said, referring to the opportunity timed-event cowboys have to make multiple runs in the same day; that allows them to move on to the next rodeo without having to double-back to Lovington, which just adds to the expense of rodeo. “I ran two good steers, and hopefully it’ll win some money.”

He’ll wait through the final three days of competition to see where he sits when the curtain closes Saturday night, but he stands pretty tall so far. He should know; he’s a two-time world champion with eight qualifications to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo – his two gold buckles came in 2006 and 2010.

Leading into this week’s competition, he was 14th in the world standings with $42,416. He knew he had an opportunity to do well Wednesday evening, mainly because fellow steer wrestler Jace Melvin provided a little background on the steer – Melvin had competed on the same steer during the afternoon session.

“I probably would have missed him if (Jace) hadn’t told me,” he said of the steer. “He was great once you get him.”

Gorsuch gets most of his steers, but that doesn’t come without struggles. Rodeo is a humbling sport, and championships aren’t guaranteed. He hasn’t been to the NFR since 2013, when he was in the race for the world championship until the final round of the season.

“I got hurt two years ago,” Gorsuch said. “I didn’t do very good last year, but I still wasn’t very confident. It felt like it still hurt at times, and I just never let things hang out. It feels like it’s coming together this year.”

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Just 15 minutes after his final ride of the night, Colten Jesse had already strapped his Lea County Xtreme Bulls trophy buckle on his belt.

He earned the right to do that by dominating Tuesday night’s performance at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. Jesse won both go-rounds and the average championship to pocket $11,878.

“It means the world, showing these guys what I’ve got,” said Jesse, 19, of Konawa, Okla. “I guess they know what I’m capable of, but it feels really good to show up here and show them that I’m here to get it on.”

The victory pushed his season earnings to $35,600 and moves him into the top 25 in the bull riding world standings. More importantly, he moved into third place in the race for rookie of the year.

“I knew (the rookie race) was going to be tough this year,” he said. “I started off kind of slow, then it started picking up in the summer. I’ve been fighting my head the last couple of weeks; I’ve had some minor injuries. I told myself when I woke up this morning to relax and have fun.”

It worked out. Jesse won the first round with an 88-point ride on Salt River Rodeo’s Silence Reigns. He then matched moves with Lone Star of the Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo outfit for 90 points to win the championship round.

“I felt like I made two good rides,” said Jesse, who was homeschooled and graduated early so he could compete in rodeo. “Drawing a good bull is half your score. You can’t win if you don’t have a good bull underneath you. I drew two really good ones and made the best of it.”

Of course, having been rising through the ranks – from mutton busting to calf riding to steer riding and now competing in ProRodeo – he understands what it takes to find success in the arena.

“I don’t really let those high-pressure situations get to me,” he said. “The competition is stiff; it always is at these Xtreme Bulls.”

Mary Burger’s hot streak went has gone into a blistering pace for the 2016 season.

By earning $5,863 last week, the 2006 world champion barrel racer pushed her season earnings to $185,439, surpassing Lindsay Sears’ regular-season earnings record from 2008. She placed in a round in Dodge City, Kan., and finished second in both Sidney, Iowa, and Phillipsburg, Kan.

Mary Burger

“I never dreamed this would happen, and it is just unbelievable,” Burger told the WPRA. “I just wanted to win a little money this year and have fun with my horse.”

She’s won a lot, including more than $50,000 at RodeoHouston and $122,000 at the Calgary (Alberta) Stampede, of which $72,000 is mixed into her WPRA earnings – only half of the $100,000 prize money for winning the shootout round in Calgary counts for the standings.

With the regular season concluding Sept. 30, she and her 7-year-old gelding, Mo, have more than a month and a half to add to their earnings. Burger owns a $91,005 lead over the No. 2 cowgirl, 2015 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo cowgirl Jackie Ganter.

Burger also is a little more than $138,000 from the year-end mark Sears set eight seasons ago. With more than $26,000 being paid to the winner of each of the 10 go-rounds at the NFR, she stands a strong chance to surpass the Sears’$323,570.

DODGE CITY, Kan. – The championship round of Dodge City Roundup Rodeo has quite a reputation and being one of the best performances in ProRodeo.

It lived up to it again Sunday, especially for bareback rider Tim O’Connell.

“A lot of guys get nervous when they make the short round here, because this is probably the rankest short round you’ll ever see,” said O’Connell, who matched moves with JK Rodeo’s Molly for 86 points to win the round and clinch the overall title.

Tim O’Connell

The Iowa cowboy posted a 79-point ride in the first round and entered Sunday’s finale tied for 11th overall. He finished with 165 points on two rides to win the championship and pocket $4,551 in the process.

The world standings leader just padded his lead, having pushed his earnings past $120,000 for the season.

“There were guaranteed three horses that were in our E pen last year,” he said of the eliminator pen at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. “The heat was out tonight, and I feel very blessed to get Molly for the third short round in a row here. That’s not a day off either. That’s how great the bucking horses that Frontier and Vold’s put here. She gave me the opportunity, the Lord blessed us and it was a great score.

“There’s a trick to that horse, and I think I’ve got that figured out.”

O’Connell has secured his third NFR qualification with an incredible season. The Roundup title marks the 11th championship he’s earned. He earned the national title at the RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo this past May and finished the 2015 season fourth in the world standings.

But this marks just the first time in his young career that he’s claimed the title in Dodge City.

“This is a great rodeo,” O’Connell said. “I was very blessed to come in the 11th hole. I didn’t know if it would be good enough to pull it through because of the heat that was out, but the good Lord had a plan, and I’m awfully tickled to get that buckle.

“This is a very prestigious rodeo. In the three years that I’ve been here, they break arena records all the time. If you want to be a rank horse rider and be in the 90s, this is the place to be.”